Dim's Write Stuff

If you follow Sam Mac on his socials, you'd understand his motivation for wanting to express the poignant joys of parenthood. Her name is Margot. This picture book chronicles the birth of his daughter in a holistic inclusive way, featuring a number of parenting combinations, their bubs and their babies' milestones. It begins with a statement: time is a treasure .  So true. Precious, unrepeatable firsts are scattered throughout which may seem pedestrian to the non-parent but resonates with the same incredulous quality a child experiences when witnessing, mastering or performing a new life wonder for the very first time. It's pure magic. Human firsts are never so abundant than in the first year of life as revealed in each page turn. Baby's firsts are beautifully showcased with gently hued illustrations surrounded by plenty of white space that allows eyes and hearts to fully focus on each milestone baby makes. Honestly, it has a Baby Book kind of vibe; it's for baby, s...

Thompson's work never fails to enthrall and entertain. This is a majestic foray into the minds of two very different people; one in old age with the onset of dementia, struggling with the enormity of making sense of a lifetime of memories. The other his granddaughter determined to find what he has 'lost'. The search takes both them and the the reader through a detailed adventure of perception, memory, reflection and finally resignation. Some lost things are never found, like time and youth but with kindness and understanding, their previous existence can be cherished. Full page spreads burst with colour, clever jokes, ties to previous works and well-known entities. None of us really know what we are looking, but Thompson prompts us to search anyway. The whole effect has a rather Graeme Base feel to it which is brilliant in my book.  The use of colour, deliberate placement of 'clues' and exploration of 'normal' locations within a home keep minds and eyes acti...

Picture books are renowned for tackling a plethora of subjects that illuminate imaginative thought and spark creativity. None more so than those centred around construction, building, making . As an adult, I am constantly moved and enlightened by the ability of humans to design and create homes to shelter in and communities to thrive amongst. Imagine then how enthralling these types of books are for youngsters. This crafty collection of recent releases escorts young readers from architectural triumphs, to design to the notion of ‘home is where the heart (or pet) is’. Enjoy! Digby & Claude by Emma Allen and Hanna Sommerville This hefty picture book is a moving tribute to the re-developmental phase of housing in Australia in the late 1930s. It is also a powerful testimony to change, the evolution of friendship and resilience of community spirit. Digby and Claude unite as a change in the appearance and composition of their street begins; new flats are being built. As the demolition...

Beauty comes in many forms: the bizarre, the whimsical, the wondrous. Author illustrator and two-time Caldecott Medallist, Sophie Blacknall embraces the very best of beauty in her visual and imaginative picture book narratives creating imagery that makes your heart swoon. Here are two of her latest masterpieces. If I Was A Horse When I was much shorter, I dreamed of owing a horse. It was a dead-end desire however my love for all things equine never diminished so instead of walking, I galloped. Instead of speaking, I whinnied. Instead of sitting in the shelter shed at lunchtimes, I careened around the school oval …like a horse. I didn’t just want a horse. I was a horse. This is the premise of Blackall’s 2023 release; exploring what a child would do if she were a horse. This joyful expose of imaginative play and sense of self is splendidly supported by Blacknall’s exquisite illustrations created with a combination of media including watercolours, pencils, and collaged materials res...

There comes a time in everyone's life where a split second choice, an extreme of nature, a fork in the road prompts a unique turning point . Some of them we recognise for the epiphanies that they are; shocking, incredible, visionary. Others, we barely notice. Nearly all are life altering.  Earlier last year, I was fortunate enough to access a challenge that got me up and writing again , to paraphrase Exisle Publishing CEO and editor of The Turning Point Anthology , Gareth St John Thomas. The catalyst was a writing competition describing a turning point in one's life. This competition took place during the peak of our global Covid pandemic and as Gareth points out, was the stimulus that allowed me to reconnect not only with my fatalistic past but also my waning creative verve.  My tale,  Kismet’s Odyssey , is a true-life, deeply affecting account of my experience as a young bareboat charter courier on the sunbaked Ionian island of Corfu. It was a time of kissing summer ...

Five years ago an incredible book emerged about an odd little bird who saved a family ; the Bloom family, who endured a horrific tragedy and learnt to live with pain and disappointment, heartache and renewed love thanks to an angel clothed in black and white. Penguin Bloom (HarperCollins 2016) was an instant success resulting in the production of a major motion picture still showing on the big screen. This Young Readers’ Edition is the movie-tie in and every bit an emotional heart tug as its parent editions. Samantha Bloom was a young energetic vivacious mother of three committed to life and adventure when she had a harrowing near death accident whilst on holiday with her family in Thailand. Her subsequent paralysation left her broken and wheelchair bound and in terrible mental decline. This was not the life she had planned. She was no longer the woman she thought she’d be. Her sons and husband, helpless bystanders in this tragedy felt every bit of her pain and despair but were un...

When I was much shorter and younger, I loved engaging TV shows that leapt from one activity to the next. Variety was indeed the spice of my young life. It still is. So when Lauren and Anthony, founders of The Side Show Factory - a place that houses their fantabulous entertainment shows for kids, wanted to involve a certain little pigeon as part of their engaging and stimulating program, how could I refuse. Story Surprise is about all the things that put the happy in glee: music, stories, art and craft; all tied together with nifty interactive song and dance routines that are guaranteed to get kids up and moving. There's a bear in there too; Mick the Teddy is cooler than icy poles and a hoot to watch.  The 15 minute or so high energy episodes more than satisfy the young at heart but are brilliantly tailored for the under sixes. Each themed  Story Surprise  video incorporates educational snippets, easy to make and do activities, craft, audience shoutouts and catchy origi...

The story pages of The Happiness Box are encased in slouch-hat-felt-beige, giving nothing away until you open this picture book and chance inside where you'll discover a beautiful story within a story. The Happiness Box was created in the middle of World War II, in the throat of a torrid jungle strangled by war. For Sergeant David 'Griff' Griffins, Changi Prison on the east coast of Singapore was home. He and the other prisoners of war including women and children endured the rigors of imprisonment, disease and starvation for years, each fearful of being hauled off into the jungle to work for the Japanese as slaves building railways and bridges . To pass the time and maintain morale, Griff ran literary competitions and penned theatrical productions which the prisoners performed, desperate to preserve normality and boost spirits. He encouraged reading among his men but his thoughts always returned to the children cooped up in Changi prison  who had no toys or book...

As I sit in disbelief, still reeling slightly at images of my old digs on an island in the Whitsundays that I used to call home, I reflect on what it means to loose something. The trees on Hamilton Island are completely denuded, reduced to leafless trunks standing damp and defenceless in a landscape that resembles a nuclear test sight. It is truly heartbreaking to see. Harbour View apartments Hamilton Island photo attribute Newcastle Herald I have some idea of what it must be like there. I have lived through one or two cyclones in my time, after all, even whilst on Hamilton but I can't pretend to know what those who've lost their homes, their boats, their livelihoods are feeling. Loss is a personal thing that affects each and every one of us in profoundly different ways.   On a far less violent and brutal front, now that the new-publication storm surrounding the launch of The Fix-It Man subsides, I take a further moment to reflect on this book of mine and Nicky...